Forgotten Chicago is an organization dedicated to “discovering and documenting little known elements of Chicago’s infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods and general cityscape, whether existing or historical.” They will lead a tour to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood on the north side, a community that has undergone several transitions in its history and that is now in the throes of uneven gentrification. Uptown had its beginnings as an upper middle class suburb and by the 1920s was home to a booming entertainment and vice district. Today the fabric of the neighborhood reflects a diversity of cultures and demographics. During the tour reprised for VAF, Forgotten Chicago will again delve into what criteria made and maintained Uptown as a port of entry for many different people, the effects of top-down urban renewal, and the conflicts that have sculpted its history.

We will also explore evidence of struggles between many different groups of people, migrants and immigrants, and the civic reaction to the influx of new cultures, many of which were defined by their strong sense of independence. Finally, we will see how the movie and entertainment industries played a large role in enriching Uptown’s architectural landscape and providing a fertile breeding ground for its later reincarnations.